30 Aug 2018

SSL Avoidance is NOT an Option

We previously spoke about GDPR and securing your website back in March, but now that the GDPR launch date has been and gone are you still aware of the importance of protecting your website?

There has been a growing number of hacking and malicious attacks across the web. These incidents can unfortunately cost a small business significantly, not only in terms of GDPR fines, but to the cost of data breaches to your business too. Which can mean being accountable for the loss of your clients personal information, having payment systems redirected to hackers bank accounts or losing your website altogether!

Securing your site with an SSL certificate not only helps to protect your site against these threats but aids GDPR compliance.

According to a recent HubSpot Research survey, “82% of respondents would leave a site if they saw this Not Secure warning”.

It is no secret that Google has been preferring secure sites (those with HTTPS) over unsecure sites for a while now. But there is still a huge number of sites which are missing out on this vital part of security. Even high profile sites such as dailymail.co.uk and asos.com are serving users content without a valid SSL certificate. In these cases these sites are not providing users with the appropriate online protection. This could mean that sensitive information like payment and login details are not secure.

What does a secure website look like?

Check your site yourself by typing the address into the browser and looking for the above icon.

So why do I need one?

It builds trust for your site users and let them know the platform they are accessing is safe;

You can sit back and relax with peace of mind that your site is more secure against hacking and malicious activity.

Does it apply to me?

The certification should be found on all sites. It applies to everyone, even if your website does not capture personal information or operate an online shop.

The most common misconception we find is that SSL certificates are expensive and complicated to install and maintain. In truth, we are able to provide SSL certificates for only £60+VAT a year. It is a small price to pay for the benefits its provides.

All of the websites we build, maintain and host at Laser Red come with an SSL certificate as standard. This ensures our clients’ websites are secure, and can continue to serve the hundreds of thousands of visitors that access them every day.

I hope you have found this useful, and an informative way of protecting your business. If you want us to explain anything in more detail or purchase an SSL certificate, email us on office@laser.red, or give us a call on 01472 878496.